Shifting The Scales Of Balance
by Panic1AtTheHere
Summary: Kai and Nya are very different to their fellow ninja team members. For starters, their parents disappeared without a trace about a decade ago, and they never knew much about them. Second, one of them has a very rare power, while the other has the other half of it, so will their powers bring them closer as siblings or tear them apart? Turns out, life isn’t always what we expect...
1. Chapter1

**Hi everyone! I'm back! This is a new story that is a bit of a parallel universe to another story I'm writing at the moment, so yeah. Please, if you're going to read both, try not to get them confused. I will put recaps at the front of the chapters for each story to hopefully avoid confusion. **

**Anyway, this is a bit of an AU, and you'll find out more in this chapter. So yeah, enjoy! **

She crouches in the undergrowth, her fangs exposed in a cruel snarl, her ears pressed flat against her head. The deer in front of her don't look up. Her bright eyes lock onto one - a young female with a limp on the edge of the group. Her eyes narrow, and her growling intesifies. One of the older does raises her head and stares in her average direction, but she soon returns to her grazing. _Foolish creatures. _Her snarl widens, seemingly in a smile, and she creeps one step closer. One step closer. One step closer.

Pounce.

The deer leap away, kicking their legs frantically to get away from her, dashing back to their home thickets. She shakes her head in fury and frustration, her stomach rumbling and sinking. _It's not long until dinner anyway... _She paces backwards and forwards in the clearing, her tail dragging behind her miserably.

That's when the voices hit her sensitive ears, which prick up and swivel slightly to better pick up the sound. Four voices, the voices of young male humans, accompanied by the slow, steady beat of dragon wings in the air approach her, and she realises just how long she had been stalking those deer for. Shaking her head, she spreads wings from her back, changing her appearance to something to better blend in. Her smaller pidgeon form lifts off the ground and soars high above the treeline, angling itself towards the stone monastery atop the mountain looming over the forest. Her wings flap frantically, barely able to cover such a large distance in such a short time. She pants as her wings fold in, her body dropping to the courtyard floor. She shakes herself as her body returns to its usual form - her birth form - and she picks herself up from the cold stone. Throwing a quick glance over her shoulder at the skies above, she starts to run towards where she knows the front door of the building is.

She crashes headlong into something. Someone.

She falls to the ground, her right arm flinging out behind her body to break her fall. She looks up, flicking her short black hair from her eyes, only to find herself face to face with Sensei Wu. Her head retracts slightly in towards her shoulders in an embarrassed manner, while the old man simply motions for her to follow him. She does, pushing her limbs against the floor once more.

"Nya," The sensei begins, and her anxiety rises slightly. _This isn't going to end well. _The old man turns to face her. "Your gift is... different. I must admit that I've never seen another with a similar power for a while." Her gaze flies up to his face, which remains annoyingly blank, devoid of any emotion, not betraying any thoughts. To enter his mind would be a massive slight against them both, so she keeps her mind firmly inside her own body, fighting the urge out of pure respect and self-preservation. He nods slowly as if he is also able to read her mind and feelings as if they were simply a children's book. The thought sends a chill down her spine. "You must protect your power."

"Yes Sensei." She bows in respect, before a new question enters her mind. "When was the last time you saw another with my power? I always thought we would have hidden our skills better to protect ourselves from those few humans who would wish to use and abuse us for their own gain." The old man raises an eyebrow and nods slowly, contemplating his reply. Finally, after a deep breath, he gives his answer.

"There was a generation before you and the others. One of them had powers very similar to you. If you have the same power as her now, I am wondering if you will also gain her other one." Master Wu turns away slightly at this, words failing him as his mind falls into itself. After a brief moment of pause, the old man smiles slightly. Within minutes, Nya is back in her bedroom, still in her birth form, and pacing backwards and forwards absentmindedly. _I am wondering if you will also gain her other one. _She ponders the conversation deeply, her thoughts tumbling over each other, all desperate to be heard above the noise. The only thing that shakes her free is the new group of voices outside. Her brothers are home. Smiling, she leaves her room and heads out into the courtyard.

**So this is the first chapter of this story! I hope you all enjoyed this, and I intend to fill some plot holes and possibly make some more with this story XD**

**Please, if you have anything to say or ask about this new story or simply about this chapter, do not be afraid to leave your thoughts in the reviews. Similarly, if you have any ideas for a one-shot for Greenflame, Steam (Kai x Nya) or Technoshipping, please let me know and we can discuss your plot idea. This is because I am going to be doing a one-shot collection for every non-canon, controversial ship in the series, such as the aforementioned ones, Conya, Lloya, Zaya (or Cold Water), Bruiseshipping and more. I already have a plot for the Bruise one thanks to Dyphen, a very close friend of mine who I hold very close to my heart (that's right, I _do _have one), but I can't post it yet. I'm going to post them in an order, with Steam first, so if you have any ideas for that, please let me know. I am _desperate _at this point in time. **

**Anyway, thank you all for reading, and hopefully I'll see you all soon!**

**-LunaPikazard**


	2. Chapter2

**Yay! I'm back! Sorry, I've got some writer's block at the moment, and my mental health isn't really improving right now. It just seems to be getting worse. Therapy is no longer as effective as it was before. But that's not why you're all here! _Moving swiftly onward!_**

**This is the second chapter of Different! This is a headcanon that I've had for a couple years, and the other one (that this is kind of a parallel universe to) has been altered slightly, though that one sticks a bit more to canon but with an OC. I just need a name for that one and I'll have that out. For now though, this is Different! Also, quick shoutouts to Dyphen and Catgirl3000! You two are awesome and I hope you have a great week!**

**Eek! It's nearly Halloweeeeeeeeen! _Get your older brother's Jason mask and a loaf of bread because you don't have a machete and get ready for the biggest party of the fall!_**

Nya emerges from the monastery to find herself facing all four of her ninja brothers. There's Kai, the one in red, her only genetic brother of the group and her one sibling. Cole is the one in black by the door, arms crossed and rolling his eyes. Zane is the one in white, trying to get someone else to behave and come down from the golden dragon statue in the middle of the courtyard. And the boy on the statue is none other than the blue ninja Jay. Nya giggles quietly to herself in the doorway, watching their antics. Jay rapidly turns around and slides down the dragon's snout, landing deftly on the stone floor, a light pink blush rising across his cheeks. Nya only laughs harder, her smile widening. The blue ninja's blush intensifies.

"So how did it go? Who won?" Nya asks once her laughter subsides. The ninja all shoot looks at each other before all four give the same answer.

"Me." The four boys then resume their mad glaring, and Nya rolls her eyes.

"It was really me." Kai whispers to Nya as he pushes past her to get inside the monastery. "The others are just too embarrassed to admit it."

"Riiiiiiight..." Nya replies, earning quick stifled chuckles from the other boys and a pretend angry look from the fire ninja. The rest of the group follows Kai back into the main body of the stone building, chatting among themselves. Jay's blush soon dies down, though his face remains pretty pink.

The group burst into the living room area of the monastery, the boys flopping onto the sofas while Nya crosses her legs and sits on the floor. The boys start to tell tales of what they saw on their dragon race trip and are soon snarking each other and trying to explain how _they definitely _won the race, not one of the others. Nya suppresses her laughter for the majority of the conversation.

Finally, after a couple hours, Kai, Cole and Zane all leave the room, hunting for something to eat, while Jay and Nya remain in the living room.

"So who really won that race?" Nya asks, breaking the silence in the room. Jay starts as her voice echoes against the walls and ceiling. He turns his head rapidly to face her before turning it back at a similar speed.

"M-me. Like always." He stammers and smiles. Nya returns the gesture before both burst out laughing. Within ten minutes, the other ninja are back, and Nya excuses herself from the room, claiming she's going to bed. The others bid her goodnight and she walks slowly down the passageway to her bedroom, smiling gently to herself. Until Sensei Wu's voice interrupts her thoughts.

"Nya," he calls into the passage, "could you come see me in my meditation room for a minute please?" Nya hesitates for a moment before following the old man into a different corridor. He opens the door and shuts it behind her. He places his hands at the small of his back and walks forward, facing the far wall and still refusing to face her when he reaches it. He takes a deep breath, turning his head slightly.

"There is a new threat posed to Ninjago." He starts, and Nya can feel her ears spike out of habit, her eyes widening slightly. She cocks her head curiously. "If it is not too much to ask, I wish that you could patrol the monastery for a little while, in another form, to watch out for any possible threats?" Nya recoils slightly in shock, before jerking her head sharply in a nod. Wu smiles slightly, watching her through the corner of his eye.

In less than five minutes, Nya has crept through the monastery without disturbing any of the four ninja and has soared high into the sky in one of her favourite forms. Her giant, black, feathery wings rise and fall without much effort as she soars in circles around the monastery atop the mountain, using her enhanced sight to watch through the darkness for any signs of danger. The only noises are of the bats flying and squeaking from inside the forest below her, her wings beating against the air and her slow, steady breathing. Her heart beats a tune of its own in her chest.

The moon sits high in the sky when she feels something pull at her mind. She flinches and spins around, her tail and head whipping around in the shadows of night. Her eyes scan the midnight for anything approaching her, though her vision remains empty, devoid of life besides herself and the bats below her. She extends her mind towards them. _Not one of them. They're all just normal bats. So where could that have come from? _Her thoughts are interrupted for the second time that night, though this time, not by Sensei Wu. Instead, another consciousness tugs at her brain. She growls quietly, the sound rippling through the air. The sudden noise unsettles the bats, causing them to rise and fall in a frenzy of flapping leathery wings and squeaks. Their screaming puts her off her defensive display, and she roars slightly as she descends towards them, snapping at them furiously. The bats barely escape. She rises back to her original scouting position, ready to alert Wu at even the slightest of threats. Her mind pangs again at the attempted entry by another, and pain courses through her blood. She drops like a brick to the cold, hard stone below, expecting an attack from above at any second. It doesn't come.

Instead, a figure comes creeping out of the monastery. Nya rolls onto her front, ready to pounce at the stranger. The person gasps in fear at the creature before them.

The beast raises its burning yellow eyes to him, its pupils seeming to pierce his very soul. He feels a dull throb in his head, a mere remainder of the migraine he had felt mere moments ago, since the second he woke from the nightmare. The animal growls and crouches, and he can tell it is ready to pounce on him and kill him at any moment. He puts his hands up defensively in front of his face, knowing full well that he is vulnerable to everything and anything this creature can throw at him. Unless...

The figure's hand bursts into flame as he assumes a battle stance, and the animal snarls as it crouches further. Until...

Her mind reaches out to the boy's.

_'Kai?!' _A familiar voice rings in his head, and he shakes it violently, only increasing the pain. He gasps and grasps his forehead. The animal lunges forward before his sister appears and grabs him, gentle but forceful. He flashes her a quick smile before something hits him. A realisation.

The animal is nowhere to be seen. And Nya has literally come out of thin air. Why is she even up?

"Nya?" He asks groggily. The girl nods. "Why are you up at this hour?"

"I could ask you the same question!" She whisper-shouts at him, taking his hand away from his head. Her own hand is cool against his burning skin.

"I... I had a..." he stammers, and drops his gaze, aftraid to admit what his cause is for being awake. "I had a nightmare." He blurts out, and Nya nods slowly. His head throbs hard, and even Nya recoils at it. Wait, what? Why is _she _reacting to _his _pain? He tilts his head slightly to the side, a habit he has kept since childhood from their mother. Both hiss inwardly as the pain increases. Both shoot the other a confused look. Both speak at the same time.

"You've got it too?" Their faces are identical, shock and confusion painted across them, eyebrows raised and eyes wide. A new thought enters Nya's mind, possibly the craziest thought she's had in a long time. And what could that even mean?

"Maybe we have some kind of mental link or something?" Kai asks, and Nya's certainty seems to simultaneously rise and fall within a second. "I mean, I've heard of things like this happening, and we're siblings, so it wouldn't be too far-fetched if it really is true—"

"Riiiiiight." Nya replies, her eyes showing just how creeped out she really is inside though she tries to hide it with a jokey remark. "Cos two normal kids could have a mental link in the real world."

Kai raises an eyebrow. "Normal, huh?" Smiles find their ways to toy at the corners of their lips. Their heads throb again and both rush to press their hands against them.

"So, let me get this straight..." Nya hesitates, thinking everything over in her mind. "You've got a headache because of a nightmare?" Kai nods with a shamed face.

"What about you?" He asks. "What's the cause of yours? Do you know?" Nya's mind races around, trying and struggling to make up a cohesive reason for her to be out at the hour. She can't reveal the truth. Not now. Possibly not ever.

"I don't know. I heard something out here and came to check it out. Then I got some kind of roaring headache." She replies, hardly sure of what she's going to do next, especially if Kai calls her bluff. However, he simply nods and smiles slightly. _'Thank the First Spinjitzu Master...' _

"What did you say?" Kai raises his head quickly to look at her, and Nya's heart skips a beat. _'How did he hear that?!' _"Why wouldn't I hear that? I mean, I heard _something_. I don't know what you said though..."

"Try thinking something as if you're saying it out loud." Nya says, glaring intensely at her brother.

"W... what?" He asks, shaking his head in confusion. "What do you mean?" _'Now how the heck am I supposed to do this?' _Kai's voice echoes in her head, and she gasps. Kai stares at her. _'Did that work? Am I doing it right?!' _

_'Yep. Well done Kai.' _Kai's mouth drops at Nya's reply. She gives him a tight smile before going to walk past him to go back to bed. Kai grabs her arm and spins her around to face him.

"Why can we do this?" He asks, confusion and curiosity, mingling with fear and anxiety, printed on his face, covering every inch of his flesh. Nya holds in a sigh.

"Because we're different."

**SO THAT'S THAT!**

**I hope you're all enjoying this story so far! Personally, I'm a big supporter of this idea I've had for years now, and I can remember role-playing with an old friend of mine back in school. We would always run and hide in our own corner of the playground and ignore everyone, making up OCs and new plot lines... oh life was good before secondary school and depression :)**

**Anyway, it's now, like, half an hour into the morning, and I have therapy tomorrow... yay...?**

**But yeah, as with the previous chapter, if you have any questions about anything or wish to leave your opinions in the reviews, feel free to do so!**

**See you all soon, hopefully!**

**Bye!**

**-LunaPikazard**


	3. Chapter3

**Hiya, I'm back again! So, sorry for the change in names, but as I've mentioned before, I got the plots of these stories confused, so I named the other story wrong. But now that's fixed, and these are still two very separate stories. They physically _can not _exist in the same timeline. It is impossible. Literally. **

**Anyway, here's a quick recap to hopefully dispel any more confusion after the name change. **

**Recap:**

**It's revealed that Nya can change her form at will. Wu has a quick discussion with her and tells her to keep her power safe and under wraps. He then warns her of an approaching danger to Ninjago. **

**Outside, that night, while Nya is patrolling the monastery, she feels something attempt a mental attack on her. She lands again, and Kai comes stumbling from the monastery. They have a conversation and find out that they both have headaches. Nya then helps Kai control another power that he doesn't even know he has: he can mentally communicate. So far, no one knows of either power. It sounds a lot better in the actual chapter, trust me!**

**So here's the next chapter! Yay!**

Kai seems to be trying to avoid Nya throughout the next week, and honestly, she isn't surprised in the slightest. Her older brother obviously never had any suspicion that he was even more different than he thought, even though she had known of her power since she was a child. To this day, she can remember racing out of the house, tearing up a hill and spreading her wings, letting the breeze carry her up, up, up into the air, helping her to glide around and around in circles, slowly falling back to the ground. She would run away from people, from places, just to rise into the air and escape the pressures of human life for a bit, her feathers lifting her into the freedom of the sky above.

And now? Now, she's stuck in this monastery until mayhem rings up somewhere else in Ninjago and the ninja leave, allowing her to escape the building and fly away to catch the air currents above, or dip through the waves of the ocean that gently tries to pull itself up the shore under the mountain, or curl up beneath a tree in the forest below and let the cool breeze blow over her hide. But of course, everything in Ninjago is fine, no trouble anywhere. Lord Garmadon hasn't been seen since his escape from the Underworld to wherever he went, and no other danger threatens Ninjago, besides the occasional scuffle here and there between a few gangs, or the attempted bank robberies, or something else that the ordinary humans in the city's police force can handle.

Boredom grips her almost as tight as her talons on tree trucks whenever she almost loses her balance in her tired states during her trips to the forest treetops to catch up on sleep. Her imagination wanders until an alarm echoes in her sensitive ears. Her head snaps up, and she can feel the imaginary leaves and branches around her vanish, their comforting presence ending. She whirls around and sees something she wishes she could unsee.

Lord Garmadon has returned.

Meanwhile, Kai and the other ninja roll their eyes and sigh in unison as Sensei Wu continues to lecture them about preparing for the inevitable return of the Dark Lord. _Yeah right. He's gone. _

'_Dont be so sure, Kai!' _A voice rings in his head, and his eyes widen even as Cole plugs the TV back in with the head of his scythe. Zane's words are lost as Nya bursts into the room, shouting about Lord Garmadon's return. _Shit. First I project my thoughts without thinking, then Garmadon's back!_

The boys explode into chaos, tripping over each other as they fight to grab their weapons and leave the room. Kai races out, his feet carrying his weightless body down the stone steps outside the monastery toward the dragon keep. He tugs on the lever on the stone wall of the mountain staircase and the wooden doors to the keep open, nearly crushing Zane after he foolishly steps out before they drop. The four boys hurry towards their personal elemental dragons. Cole drops his scythe, Jay falls off Wisp, who shakes his deep blue head, and Kai can't reach his reins, practically begging Nya for her help. She shakes her own head as she passes them up to him before stepping back, letting the giant red dragon spread his ruby wings and fly off into the azure sky above.

"Will they ever reach their True Potentials?" She asks, her eyes glued to the four elemental beasts as they rise into the blue, and Wu shakes his head and sighs as he approaches her.

"In time." He replies, unaware of her raised eyebrow. "Maybe a long time, but in time." _Yeah, that sounds more accurate._

_————_

Smiling, Nya steps out onto the sunlit staircase. She drops down onto the stone below, the cooler surface making a slight chill ripple over her skin. She closes her dark eyes and takes a deep breath, the light air filling her lungs. Her black wings spread out and remain in the air, allowing the weak breeze to catch them, helping her skin cool down further after her flight to Jamanakai Village to watch over her brothers only to find that instead of Lord Garmadon, they had to deal with _Lloyd _Garmadon, the son of the Dark Lord. Naturally, she had returned him after seeing the brat. After all, her brothers could defeat that kid in anything with their hands tied behind their backs and their eyes blindfolded.

Sighing happily, she opens her now luminous yellow eyes and surveys the forest below. Pushing herself up slightly into a crouch, she prepares to soar down to the large patch of lush green before Wu can hold her back, but the old man appears in the doorway behind her, calling her name, oblivious to her desire to hide away in the trees. She shakes her head before turning and padding back into the courtyard. Sensei Wu stands in the doorway of the monastery, his eyes fixed on her as she enters his field of view. His eyes narrow as she returns to her usual form, wings retreating into her back while she stands. Her talons hide in her paws, which slowly lose their feathery and furry layers and become a lighter shade. Before long, her black feathers have vanished to make way for her short midnight hair, tanned skin and human limbs. Her dark brown eyes bear into the old man, who struggles to keep his face and posture one of calmness - even the bravest of warriors would quiver and shake before the might of a shapeshifter.

"I wish for you to resume your speed and agility training in your human form on the course." He says as he steps forward, down from the porch. He flips over a smaller dragon statue to the side of the courtyard, and all around him and Nya, wooden circles rise up from the stone paving. The larger golden dragon ascends into the air, and Nya watches as its space is filled by the swinging spikes and punching bag. The other four red wooden rings lift up and slowly begin spinning, and Nya growls quietly. To her left, four thin wooden poles appear and begin spinning rapidly, their arms barely avoiding each other. _This is it. Time to smash Kai's speed record. _

She doesn't manage to smash Kai's speed record.

Instead, Sensei Wu retreats into the monastery before her second attempt, but she doesn't give in, determined to prove to her brother that she's a lot less useless than she seems.

As she flips over the spinning wooden poles, she doesn't see the large doors open, revealing the four multicoloured figures of Kai, Jay, Cole and Zane. She barely avoids smacking into a weapon on one of the four wooden rings, but she gets caught out by the next, unable to duck below the shining metal axe before it slams into her head and sends her backwards and landing on the cold, hard stone of the courtyard floor.

As she expects, the familiar face of Jay looms over her in a second.

"Hey Nya. Closer to beating your brother's speed record?" He asks nervously as he helps her to her feet again, holding her arm tightly so she doesn't fall again. She smiles.

"I'm getting there." She replies, pain lining her voice as she winces. "So I heard what happened in Jamanakai Village. Just a false alarm?" Jay nods before Kai cuts him off, placing a gloved hand on her right shoulder.

"Yeah, but we're gonna need the space. Sorry sis." He adds as an afterthought. Nya steps away from the boys and heads towards the courtyard doors. She watches as Cole goes over to the armour closet and tosses a black helmet with blue inner lining to Jay, who doesn't react. It hits him on the back of his head, and he stumbles forward. Nya stifles a laugh as Cole speaks.

"Armour's for our own protection. It's time to see what these babies can do!" He exclaims as he lifts his gleaming golden scythe into the air. It catches the sun's light, shimmering and sending reflections onto the stone pattern below the Earth Ninja's feet.

"Hey Nya, wanna stay and watch me wipe the floor with them?" Kai asks cockily, throwing his head over his left shoulder to her, a confident grin staining his lips. She resists the urge to sigh and shake her head, opting instead to simply speak.

"No thanks." She replies, desperate for another excuse to get away from the monastery. Sure, she just went flying around, but she barely went anywhere, and it'd be nice to get out there again. "I think I'll just visit Jamanakai Village. Knock yourselves out." She smiles as she turns, pulling the scarlet d oor shut behind her as she sighs and smiles again, wings sprouting from her back as her eyes turn a bright shade of yellow once more. Her jaw and nose merge together and protrude further from her face, which shrinks, and curve together as they harden and become a golden yellow. Her black hair changes, becoming her normal feathers of a similar shade as she drops to all fours. Her leg shape changes as her muscles, bones and inner systems alter themselves to fit her new form. Elation spreads out from her black feathered chest, and she flaps her giant wings once before leaping into the air in front of her, a breeze catching her feathers and carrying her over the luscious emerald forest below towards the mountainous village beyond even her advanced sight.

She arrives at Jamanakai Village within half an hour, and she feels content to simply soar over the Village for a little while until her yellow eyes latch onto a fruit stall down below. Her stomach rumbles, and she sighs as she pulls off to her right side to land and shift back. The trees around her provide shade and places to shift, concealing her every move with thick shadows. Only when her wings, talons and tail are completely gone, not a trace of her feathers or fur remaining, she steps out from the darkness. Her eyes slowly become their more humane dark brown.

The second she reaches the fruit stall, the entire village explodes into chaos. People scream and shout as they run into their own houses, and Nya whirls her head around frantically to find out what the problem is.

"What's going on now?" She asks herself quietly, worry filling her head. _If I'm not at the monastery, and I'm the one who warns them of the danger because the boys can't be bothered and all Sensei Wu seems to do is medititate, how will they know I'm here? They won't know that the village is in danger, and in the end, I'll most likely reveal myself and put myself in even more danger!_

Sure enough, danger shows itself.

Lloyd Garmadon emerges from one of the houses nearby, calling out orders to take as much candy as they can find. _Now who's the brat talking to? _

Nya gasps as she sees the sapphire head of a snake follow behind the child, its scarlet eyes pattered with dark red, hypnotic circles. The Hypnobrai.

Instincts kicking in, she turns on her heel and clambers up onto the nearest rooftop, flattening herself against it to hide herself from the Serpentine. The blue snake people start slithering around the village, and her anxiety creeps upwards as she watches on in terror as the townspeople fall under their enchanting hypnosis. The people groan like zombies before wandering aimlessly between the houses. She bites her lip as she pushes herself up. Flipping between roofs and avoiding being spotted are two very difficult tasks to accomplish at once, as Nya finds out. Luckily, she presses her body against each roof before any of the Hypnobrai manage to lay eyes on her. She sighs a deep sigh of relief before dropping down into a nearby alley only to find...

The four ninja stand on the other side of a wooden wagon, surveying the village around them.

"Nya?" Four voices ring out together, and Nya bites her lip again at how loud their voices seem.

"You're okay!" Jay smiles, and Nya nearly growls as she breathes out heavily.

"Barely!" She exclaims breathlessly. "They've hypnotised everyone in town!"

"Mind control..." Nya shakes her head and rubs a hand against her forehead. She soon begins explaining to the boys to avoid looking into the eyes of any of the Hypnobrai, since that's how they get you, and Jay scoffs in frustration.

"Great. We can't use our Golden Weapons, and now we've gotta fight with our eyes closed? Ha, perfect!"

Nya shakes her head again as she sighs. "The snake with the staff is the general. He's the one in charge. I reckon, if you can get the staff off him, since it contains the anti-venom, you'll be able to reverse the effects of the hypnosis and release the inhabitants of the village."

"So boys, how about we show these guys what we can do?" Kai asks as he turns away from Nya, his voice dripping with confidence, his face glowing as it displays his signature cocky grin. The other three ninja punch the air before Jay turns to Nya.

"Oh, and Nya, you can be our honarary ninja!"

"_Geeeeee, thankssss." _She rolls her eyes as she plants her hands on her hips. Jay bites his lip as he turns away, and Nya pauses for a second, almost thinking that she sees a blush creeping up his cheeks. The team of five leap onto the rooftop behind them. Nya splits off from the four ninja and loses sight of every one as she soars over to the other side of the village. _Let them deal with those snakes, and I'll round up any stragglers and lure all the townspeople into the main square. _She races down the paths as soon as her feet hit the ground, never stumbling. She calls out with her mind towards the monastery, fumbling around in the space for her Sensei's consciousness, but she finds nothing. She must have a limit for distance...

It takes less than five minutes for Nya to survey every last inch of the other side of the village for any other Serpentine or townspeople, and she races back towards the main square. From the corner of her eye, she watches as one of the sapphire blue serpent people approaches Cole, who plucks the General's staff from the snow-covered ground. Cole stares at the serpent for a few seconds before she realises what's going on.

"Cole!" She yells as she lunges forward, bringing her foot up to hit the soldier's chin, sending him flying backwards and scurrying away after his General. The Earth Ninja turns away from her, still clutching the staff tightly, seemingly in some kind of daze. "You have the anti-venom!" She calls after him. He stops dead in his tracks and looks down at his hand before turning his head over his shoulder and fixing her with a shocked and confused expression.

"By golly, you're right!" He replies. Nya gestures towards the fountain to the side of the main square, and Cole nods before running towards it as fast as his legs can carry him. Panting, he jams the staff into a small, circular hole in the stone fountain, and the water splashes and ripples against the shining metal handle. An odd hissing sound escapes the staff as the water mists up before trickling down through cracks that split the stone of the fountain and floor. The water gives off small, light blue clouds of vapour as they pass the townspeople, all of whom are soon released from their hypnotised states.

Kai sighs as he yanks the staff from the hole in the stone fountain before carrying it carefully over to Sensei Wu. Nya, Jay, Cole and Zane step closer to surround their brother in red.

"We're sorry Master." He bows his head, his brown spikes resembling those of a porcupine or a hedgehog. "If we had dealt with Lloyd before he became a problem, none of this would have happened..."

Sensei Wu only hums quietly and strokes his beard in thought before replying, "Even lessons learned the hard way are lessons learned." The four ninja all seem to relax slightly until Kai grabs one of Sensei's arms.

"Help us train." He begs. "Help us reach our True Potentials." The other three ninja nod in pleas, and Sensei Wu sighs before agreeing. He then leads his students towards the four elemental dragons who wait patiently for the ninja outside the borders of the mountain village. Kai pushes his younger sister up onto the back of the scarlet beast next to them before hauling himself up and snatching up the reins.

The flight back to the monastery is silent.

**So, I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter! I will always have decals on this story and Running Wild, even if we end up with polar opposite plots, because I know it may end up a little bit confusing the further in we may go. **

**Either way, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. **

**As usual, if you have any questions or feedback, don't be aftraid to drop a review or send me a DM. I always love to hear from you all, and reading reviews and messages makes my day! **

**See you all soon!**

**-LunaPikazard**


	4. Chapter4

**I am back! Did you miss me? **

**So, this is the fourth chapter of Shifting the Scales of Balance!**

**Recap:**

**Lloyd has freed the Hypnobrai, and the ninja, along with Nya, have freed Jamanakai Village from their terror. The ninja are still unaware as to the powers the Smith siblings have, and Sensei Wu agrees to help train the four of them to reach their true potentials, while also keeping an eye open for his older brother in case of his return and the Green Ninja, the one destined to defeat him. **

**So, without any further ado, onto the new chapter! I'll see y'all on the flip side!**

Nya drops to her feet from the back of the giant, scarlet Fire Dragon, the ninja and their Sensei landing soon after. Sensei Wu leads the way into the monastery, Kai and Zane hot on his heels while Cole walks a pace or two behind them. Jay walks beside Nya, occasionally throwing small glances her way, keeping in perfect pace with her. Nya can feel her cheeks warming every time Jay's eyes switch to her.

After a few minutes, and over a hundred steps, the group of six arrives at the top of the mountain, and Nya turns to look at the bright green forest below. The longing to take flight and bathe in the cool shadows beneath one of the thousands of trees still burns brightly deep in her chest, a blazing flame, but she simply sighs and makes her way into the monastery's courtyard, not a single word leaving her lips.

Thankfully for the team, this night is Zane's night to cook dinner, but that fact leaves Nya with the guys and no way of escaping to the forest. Noticing her restlessness, Wu sighs to himself and makes a decision.

About two hours later, the team, minus Zane, are sat around the table tucking into the starters that Zane has set out on the surface.

"I love it when it's Zane's night to cook!" Jay exclaims after swallowing a mouthful of something, but before anyone can voice their obvious agreement, the screen door on one wall slides aside and Zane steps inside, a large roasted chicken on the tray in his arms. He carefully sets the tray down on the tabletop and a smile pulls his lips up.

"Dinner is served." He lets his proud smile show, his pearly white teeth reflecting a small portion of the warm light in the room.

Laughter leaves everyone's mouths, except Sensei Wu and Zane. Nya snickers behind her hand while the guys chuckle loudly. Jay is close to tears.

"What is so funny?" Zane asks innocently, his eyes wide and voice uncertain. He seems oblivious to the bright pink, floral apron tied around himself.

Nya stumbles over her words from her laughter, but soon manages to get her point across. "You're wearing a... even _I _wouldn't wear that!" She exclaims, and the guys roar with a new wave of laughter. Zane's bright blue eyes seem close to clouding over and Nya can almost feel his slight change in mood.

"You find it funny that I take steps to ensure I am clean while cooking?" Both Kai and Cole seem to be about to respond when Sensei Wi stands, unnoticed by the two boys, and grabs a bowl of chilli from the tabletop. Cole's eyes widen in panic as the Sensei steps past him and dumps the bowl over Kai's head, his spikes crushed and the sauce running down his cheeks and dripping onto his shoulders. Jay snorts with laughter before seeing the flare in his Sensei's eyes. He grabs Kai's left shoulder and gently lays his right hand on Zane's left shoulder, his staff leaning against the wall next to the door.

"Now you are brothers." His voice is calm and level yet fury is evident in its undertone, and his anger is visible in his stride as he snatches his staff and leaves the room, abandoning the ninja and Nya. As soon as the door swings shut, Kai, Cole and Jay start throwing food back and forth, sparked by the conversation, and when a part of a kebab slaps Nya's face, she immediately reaches for something, anything, to throw back at Kai. No one sees Zane's hurt expression or notices him leave the room and close the sliding screen door behind him.

Two hours after dinner, Nya steps out into the courtyard in a clean outfit. Instead of her usual long red dress, she is now in all black, simply wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Sensei Wu waits for her just outside the ajar courtyard doors, staring out over the trees. Nya eyes him cautiously as she steps out into the uneven rock.

Without moving his eyes, Wu sighs and speaks. "I noticed your unease when we arrived home from Jamanakai Village earlier today. Are you okay?" He urns his head to face her, his eyes locking into her face. As usual, Nya feels that creeping sensation crawling into her mind - she is being read like a book, and it unnerves her. It's simply a taste of her own medicine, but no, she does not like how it tastes.

"Yeah, I'm okay, I was just trying to battle an instinct is all." She replies, her gaze dropping from her Sensei's face and sweeping over the forest laid out in front of her. The old man to her left nods slowly, and a small, kind smile grows on his lips.

"Go." He jerks his head to his left, towards the trees, and Nya's eyes widen as she looks at him through the sides of her eyes. When she raises her eyebrows in question, Wu chuckles softly and gestures again. Nya returns the smile and thanks him quietly, to which the Sensei merely nods. He turns on his heel and walks slowly back into the courtyard before looking over his shoulder to the shapeshifter behind him.

"But Nya," She turns to face him, her eyes wide, "just be back before midnight. And let me know when you get back or if anything happens to you." She nods in response, and the old man closes the door behind him.

Nya turns to face the forest again, her eyes glinting and gleaming in the dying light of the sunset. She blinks once, and her dark brown eyes immediately become bright yellow once more, even as her familiar black wings spread out from her shoulder blades. She flaps them slowly as feathers and fur creep over her body, her clothing moulding and changing to become the new substances. She drops to her hands and knees again, and her inner systems rearrange themselves painlessly, a blessing in her opinion. Talons poke out from her front paws and her face changes to fit the new form, her golden beak shining and her eyes flicking back and forth. Her lion tail flips between her powerful hind legs, and she crouches before launching herself into the air.

She soars over the trees, a magnificent black griffin.

**So I know I've been gone a while, but I have reasons. I've just started up my online school work again, since half term just ended, so I'll be busy sometimes (lets be honest - I'm gonna be drawing and writing a lot more than I'm gonna be doing homework at this rate) but I will try my best to publish more often. Also, I know my writing in this chapter alone may be of a lower quality than my other stuff, and I'm sorry, but I'm running on, like, three hours sleep from two nights ago, and I haven't slept since, so...**

**Also, I'm trying my best to keep up a relationship, not harm myself any more than I have, eat and _not _starve myself, as well as sleep a bit, try to stay in touch with my friends, reply to all my messages on all of my apps, keep up with the different stories that I am reading on both here and Wattpad, reply to some reviews and do some of my schoolwork, so yeah I am quite busy. I am also trying to keep my social media accounts alive, such as my art account on Instagram, as well as walk my dog, sell some of my art and do my other chores as well as generally taking care of myself while trying to dodge anxiety, depression, dysphoria and a disapproving family, so yeah, I'm very busy. **

**But thank you all for your patience, and I only ask for a bit more time to get a bit of a schedule going and more stuff written. Also, thank you all for no passive aggressive comments telling me to post. **

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I'm sorry it's kinda crappy and short, also very Nya-centric, but that's how this part of the story goes. I know this bit is a little boring, but I'm going to try to tell the whole story until about season 10 from a shapeshifter's perspective and then go on to another whole new story arc that I've made up, so this will be a _very _long story, so please bear with me. Season three, Rebooted, will be where stuff really starts to happen, and I will try my hardest to bring that along sooner than it would be. **

**Anyway, thank you all again for reading, and I hope you have a good day/night/whenever you're reading this. **

**Stay healthy, stay home, stay safe, stay alive. **

**-Panic1AtTheEverywhere**

**P.S.: this may be a weird question to ask but would y'all prefer it if I signed off with my real name or with my username? Because it's quite a long one to type out and I've seen other writers sign off with their actual names and I was wondering if readers would prefer that. Anyway, I'll see you all soon**


	5. Zane

**Hi everyone, I'm back again! Yep, their update this week! Doing pretty good, and it's only one in the morning so-**

**Anyway, there's not much for me to say other than my father thinks I'm a retard apparently and I'm gonna be seeing him for lunch tomorrow for some fucking reason, so let's just hop right in. **

Nya barely has time to complete her shift before the ninja land their dragons and make their way back up to the monastery, chattering loudly. Small snatches of conversation reach her ears, sounding like something along the lines of one of them completing some great feat. She simply rolls her eyes before stepping out of her room and going to greet them in the courtyard.

"It was incredible Zane!" Jay's voice is, unsurprisingly, the first one Nya hears before the team open the doors to the monastery's yard, with Kai's following soon after.

"Yeah, I'm sorry you can't seem to remember it happening. It was awesome from our perspectives!" Cole hums his agreement and Zane smiles, an unreadable cocktail of emotions crossing his face.

"What happened?" Nya's voice is laced with worry, her eyes wide despite the large grins on the faces of each of the ninja. All four sets of eyes land on her and Jay seems to smile wider. Somehow.

"Zane found his True Potential!" The Lightning Ninja exclaims, his white-clad companion blushing slightly pink at the attention. Nya's mouth drops and her eyes lock onto the Ice Ninja, a grin spreading onto her face. Before she can say anything, however, another voice calls out from behind her.

"Zane found what?"

**Okay okay so I know this is short but I'm battling against Writer's Block again so it may be a struggle for me to get all these chapters longer and out as often as I would like, but I am still trying to get them out. **

**I know this one is pretty boring and short, mainly just filler, but it's all I can do for a bit. **

**Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this lil' chapter, and I'll see you all soon with the next one hopefully. **

**Thanks for reading. **

**See y'all later!**

**-PanicAtTheHere**


	6. NOTICE

**Hi everyone**

**This ain't an update**

**I'm sorry but I'm gonna be discontinuing this story**

**I know I said the same thing for We Aren't Heroes and that's starting up again soon but this time I'm not going back on my word**

**If anyone wants to adopt this story and make it their own, let me know**

**Just give me my credit where it's due for this first bit and then just do whatever you want with it I guess**

**But yeah I won't be updating this anymore**

**Honestly I'll probably end up deleting it within a month**

**I've lost my motivation for this story and honestly it really wasn't going to be going anywhere in three first place, I was just gonna rewrite the first, like, six chapters or so but with Shapeshifter Nya and Kai having those mental powers, but honestly it was just a crappy idea I came up with back in primary school with a friend who I don't even talk to anymore**

**So yeah if you want this story let me know via DM's or something and we'll work it out**

**For now though, thanks for reading and all the reviews**

**This is PanicAtTheHere, signing off Shifting The Scales Of Balance**

**-PanicAtTheHere**


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